Michele,
I had heard on the news on Sun. that many, if not all of these pilots are volunteers. They use night vision equipment. When swooping down closer towards the flames, it's so intense; the night vision equipment is able to flip up at that point and then go back into place, enabling the pilot to once again navigate in total darkness. These highly qualified pilots determine and choose just how late they will make these swoops.
The risk factor is incredible.
